• To conduct awareness programmes in different parts of Nepal.
• To identify the cases or families in Nepal.
• To diagnose and attend to muscular dystrophies (MD)cases.
• To provide rehabilitation for the MD cases.
• To conduct medical researches on MD cases.

Among all these types of muscular dystrophies, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and Becker Muscular Dystrophy (BMD) are the most common.
DMD, which mainly affects a male child, is caused by the lack of protein called Dystrophin in the gene. This is a lethal genetic disorder, affecting one in every 3,500 children. It is reported that each day two people with DMD die worldwide. It is the most devastating of the muscular dystrophies with rapidly progressive muscle weakness, which results in the loss of walking at a very young age gradually leading the person to become wheel chair bound. During the years the patient develops joint contractures, spinal deformities, respiratory difficulties and cardiac dysfunction leading to an early death usually in their late teens and early twenties.

The disease has three distinct phases:-
Initial Phase (2-6 yrs.): Exhibit symptoms of weakness, the muscle appear enlarged and consists of fibrous and fatty tissues. The most notable are the calf muscles.
Transitional Phase (6-12 yrs.): Demonstratives marked by postural adjustment, frequent falls, increasing muscle weakness and functional loss.
End Phage (15yrs+): Respiratory problems are associated with the end stage. This causes infection within the respiratory system and can lead to death. Cardiac function can also be affected.
There is also the non- Ambulating phase, which may occur between the ages of 8-14 years, where the children with DMD lose the ability to walk.

Becker Muscular Dystrophy (BMD) is similar to DMD but in milder form and usually affects female children. In some cases the symptoms of these disease can be seen late in life.

Despite the seriousness of this disease, there is no cure for it and medical scientists have been researching on it for over decades. Medicines that are currently prescribed for such patients only help in sustaining and providing some strength to the weakening limbs. These medicines are very expensive and only available in developed countries.

Every person has a pair of 23 chromosomes in each of their cells. Females have a pair of X chromosomes while the males have an X and a Y. The faulty gene is carried in the X chromosome. Therefore if the X chromosome in a boy is a faulty one then it will not be able to produce dystrophin and thus will be affected by the disease. But since girls have another X chromosome, dystrophin can be produced by it and thus they can be carriers but not affected by the disease. However, in some cases where one of the X chromosomes are affected, the good X chromosome becomes inactive and the girl is also affected by the disease.

It can be inferred that if a mother is a carrier, her female children have a 50'/o chance of carrying the gene also and the male children have a 50% chance of having the disease.

• Parent.
• Patient.
• General Public.

• Video shows
• talk programs
• seminar/workshops (symposium)
• publications/broadcasting

Other aspects that are found defective in the patients are speech and respiration system. To attend to this problem, the occupational therapists are actively involved. Their effort are directed towards rectifying these defects.

The blocks would be as follows:
1. Rehabilitation and Medical Counselling block
2. Educational block (special school)
3. Health/Fitness block (sports)
4. Administation block